Social media is another world entirely in our world. It came as a result of technological advancement.
And here we are, where most people can’t do without that world now.
But coming to think of it. Is there anything sinful about social media? Is using social media a sin?
Is Social Media a Sin?
Social media is not a sin, neither is using social media a sin.
Yes, social media has ills, disadvantages and other negative things about it
But there are also good things about social media. People network with people via social media. People get jobs via social media.
What Does the Bible Say About Social Media?
Social media never existed in the Bible days. Let us imagine what it would be like if social media existed.
I’m wondering how our Lord Jesus would handle social media.
Definitely Jesus would have had massive followers but there would be sets of religious people dragging him just like they really did back then.
But yeah, there was no social media back then, and there’s no direct reference to the use of social media in the media.
Regardless, the Bible is complete, and we can get wisdom on everything in the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Here is a Bible verse I will like to talk about:
1 Corinthians 10:31
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”
In your use of social media, make sure it brings glory to the name of God.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 KJV
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there’s no work, device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest.”
Let me use a simpler Bible translation.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 CEB
“Whatever you are capable of doing, do with all your might because there’s no work, thought, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave, which is where you are headed.”
We should perceive social media as a tool in our hands, for the spreading of the Gospel of Christ.
But how then can we do this on social media? How can we make it a place where God gets the glory when we use it?
How to use social media as a Christian
Here is a guide on how you can use social media as a believer:
1. Share your Christian journey
You don’t have to have everything figured out before you start sharing about God on social media.
You can share your Christian journey with other believers, as this may strengthen and help others.
You can talk about your low time, high time, and everything in between.
You can share lessons that you learnt from Bible study.
You can share what God is teaching you that you know can help every other person.
2. Watch content that edify you
There are different kinds of content on social media right now.
There are a lot of content that can inspire and edify you on social media.
Consume the content that you know can help your Christian life.
3. Use it to benefit things you do
You can use social media for career purposes. It’s a good ground to network.
Social media makes the world a global village. You can network with someone way far from where you are.
Few months ago, I got a virtual assistant job from someone who lives in Israel, and I live right here in Nigeria.
You want to know I connected to him? It was via Twitter, one of the social media platforms we have.
You can get job opportunities with social media if you use it right.
Different opportunities lie with social media if you can harness it well.
Spiritual dangers of Social Media
Of course, there are risks that come with using social media, and I’m going to be writing about some of them here.
1. Too much junk can affect your spiritual growth
If you consume too much random content more than you do things that can grow your spiritual life, it will feel like you are in a limbo.
Imagine that you spend 10 hours on social media watching anything and everything, but you only spend 15 minutes with God a day.
Will your love of social media grow or your love for God?
I’m not saying that watching entertaining stuff on social media is bad, but I’m pointing to the matter of priority and the attention you give to it.
You must understand that what you give attention to grows.
So, if you give much attention to social media, you will want to do more social media.
If you give attention to the things of God, the love keeps growing.
Imagine you have a fiancé or fiancée, and you barely spend time with each other, the intimacy will fizzle out in no time.
2. There are many ungodly content on social media
We are in a world where the availability of adult and unwholesome content are readily available on social media.
You must really be proactive to save yourself from falling into the pits of immorality.
If the algorithm brings accounts that do ungodly content, block the accounts.
Safeguard your heart and your mind, and your consecration.
3. Distraction from things that matter
If you spend too much time on social media, you will lose your productivity.
This is because you will be distracted from the things that you are meant to do.
4. It can inform your mindset
Even though you think what you are doing on social media is just watching stuff randomly, your mind is being educated subconsciously.
If you start to see guys your age on social media driving luxurious cars, you may forget that that is not the reality in the real world.
And this may lead you to think you are not doing well for yourself and that you’re not moving forward.
This is just an example. There are different ways our minds are being educated.
So we need to be intentional about what we feed our mind on social media.
Wrong Ways to Use Social Media as a Christian
I’m going to mention the wrong attitude you can have towards social media and how you can use social media wrongly:
1. Getting addicted to social media
Getting addicted to social media is more like saying you can not do without using social media.
That’s a bad place to be a Christian. This won’t just affect your productivity, it will affect your spiritual life, as I said earlier.
2. Being there for the numbers alone
Yes, it’s great to be out there on social media creating content that can draw people to God.
As much as numbers are important, because it means you can reach more people. Numbers are not the focus.
The focus is that God be glorified. If you have 100K followers, and God is glorified. Perfect!
And if you have 500 followers, and your content is glorifying God. Perfect!
You must learn that all you do on social media must end in that God is glorified.
3. Seeking the praises and validation of people
You must also know that people’s validation is not your gain or focus or target.
God’s validation should be your fuel.
Before You Go
I hope you understand everything discussed about social media, and your question, “is social media a sin” answered.
Stay blessed. Keep loving Jesus Christ. You can send in your comments, and reach me via the WhatsApp button.
